[color=red]My name is Andy Markova…

…and I love Dragons.

Who wouldn’t? Dragons are fantastic creatures, who have been the stars of mainstream fantasy since fantasy existed. In many books and movies, Dragons have been depicted as incredibly powerful creatures who could lay waste to cities. J.R.R. Tolkien, known by some as the Father of Modern Fantasy, knew that well when he wrote The Hobbit[I].

[color=red]When I decided to get into dueling, I decided on Dragons as my theme. I built a deck of cards that has rarely ever failed me…

Heck, I even managed to obtain Red Eyes Black Dragon, the trademark card of the famous Joey Wheeler! Explaining how I got that card – and two other Monsters that make it stronger – would be an adventure in itself.

Now I’m on Monster Island, and I’m ready to set my Dragons free to prey on the competition.

It’s going to be quite a show…



[B][size=4]
CHAPTER FOUR



On The Village Green



Stan and Francesca were finally within sight of Petalburg. The meadow gave way to lovely cottages colored in pastel colors. A babbling brook spanned by a wooden bridge stood as the border between the peaceful meadows and the beautiful town.

As they walked onto the bridge, Francesca nudged Stan’s shoulder.

“Hey Stan, look at that…” she mentioned.

She pointed ahead to a hilltop to the north.

They both looked, and saw a dark, foreboding castle on the hill, about a mile away. It seemed out of place in this peaceful area.

“Strange…” muttered Stan. “Well, maybe… maybe we can check it out later… Let’s see if we can get some lunch first.”

They walked into the town, and the citizens took notice of them. They were cheery folk, all dressed in old fashioned clothing that looked spotlessly clean. It seemed that this was Monster Island’s version of Petticoat Junction.

“Uh, hi,” said Stan, waving. “Hello. Any place where a couple of duelists can grab a bite to eat?”

A rosy-cheeked young woman with pigtails came up.

“The inn is right over there!” she smiled. “And by order of the council, everything is complimentary for tournament guests!”

“Gee, thanks,” smiled Stan.

“I’m Betty, by the way,” she smiled.

The girl followed at a short distance as they made their way to the inn. Stan didn’t exactly know why, but he didn’t want to alienate himself. Be as nice to your hosts as you would be nice to your guests. That’s what his parents always used to tell him.

As he entered the inn, where wooden tables were set up in a large common room, someone was already there, sipping soda pop.

Andy noticed the two of them immediately.

Hey, he thought. Didn’t I see those two on the ship?

A serving maid came up to Stan and Francesca with menus.

“Hi, ya’all,” she grinned. “What can I get you?”

They looked at the menu.

“Hmm, the Reuben looks nice,” said Francesca. “And I’ll have French fries with that.”

“Yeah, and I’ll have the grilled chicken sandwich with cheese,” said Stan. “Hold the mayo. I’ll have a side of fries as well.”

“Right away!” smiled the waitress.

As she left, Andy came up to their table.

“Hi,” he stammered. “Uh, mind if I join you guys? We, um, met on the boat…”

“Oh yeah,” said Stan, recognizing him. “The guy with the Red Eyes. Pull up a seat. I’m Stan…”

“I’m Francesca,” responded Fran.

“Glad to… meet you,” answered Andy. “Oh! You can call me Andy! So how goes Monster Island so far?”

“Great!” smiled Francesca. “We’ve each got three Crystal Cards so far!”

“Aw, I still haven’t found anyone to duel,” muttered Andy. “But I’m sure to find one here…”

“There’s still time today,” assured Francesca. “Besides I… uh…”

Then she noticed something.

She looked hard at Andy’s neck.

“Um, Andy?” she asked.

“Yeah?”

“Can you show me that necklace of yours for a minute?”

Andy shrugged, as if wondering why she asked. He lifted up the pendant around his neck…

It looked exactly the same as Stan and Francesca’s pendants, except that the three stars were outlined with red coloring.

“Okay,” muttered Stan, “this is creepy…”

“What?” asked Andy.

Stan and Francesca lifted up their pendants.

“Let me guess,” said Stan, “that thing is a family heirloom, and your grandfather said it would bring you good luck when you competed…”

“Why yes…” gasped Andy. “How did you…”

Stan paused for a minute.

“All three of us have three antique pendants that our grandparents gave us for the same purpose,” he mused. “And look at the colors – yellow, blue, and red. The three primary colors. There has to be some sort of connection between these three things.”

“Maybe there’s a connection between us…” stuttered Andy.

“That’s not as farfetched as it sounds,” muttered Francesca.

She lifted her Disk.

“Everyone, at the count of three, draw the top card from your Disk…”

“Why?” asked Stan.

“Just do it!” ordered Francesca.

They all raised their Disks.

“One… two… three!” she said.

They all whipped off a card.

They showed them to each other – and they gasped.




They had each drawn Monster Reborn.

Everyone used this Magic Card… but they had drawn it at the same time. What were the chances?

They all felt a tingling deep in their hearts…

As they slowly shuffled their decks again, the food came to the table. They were too shocked to do much more than eat slowly…


* * * * * * * * * *


“What do you suppose it means?” sighed Andy, as they got up from the table. “Is it some weird trick of fate?”

“It can’t be a coincidence!” exclaimed Stan. “Somehow, by some means, we’ve met for a reason… But I don’t know what the reason is…”

“Maybe that’s why when I tried to duel you, something in my head wouldn’t let me!” he said to Francesca.

“Something wasn’t letting me either…” replied Francesca. “Something strange is…”

And then there was a sound like a noisy motorcycle erupting from outside, followed by panicked yells from the townsfolk.

They opened the door, and what sounded like a noisy motorcycle was indeed a noisy motorcycle, one that was giving off a great deal of exhaust. It skidded to a halt, destroying a bed of flowers next to Betty in the process.

Betty bent down and broke into tears. “The azaleas I just planted…” she sobbed, kneeling over them.

Andy, Stan, and Francesca looked as the biker took off her – yes her – helmet. It was a woman about nineteen years old, with long dark hair, wearing a revealing outfit. It consisted of a black, leather bikini top covered by a black leather jacket, black hot pants and leather boots. A pair of handcuffs was hanging from her belt. She had tattoos of thorny roses on her arms. A Duel Disk was strapped to her side.

The biker chick glared at Betty.

“Crybaby,” she scowled. She lifted her boot and shoved the poor girl over in the forehead.

At that point, a change came over Andy. This happened every so often. He was usually shy and meek, but at times like this, when a challenge was presented, that personality gave way to a much braver and confident one…

“HEY!” he shouted, running up to the scene. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you what happens to folks who pick on people weaker than them?”

The biker girl smiled.

“Who’s gonna stop me, cutie?” she grinned. “You?”

“I don’t know how you managed to get a motorcycle on the boat over here…” started Andy.

“There are ways to do everything,” smiled the biker, “so long as you know what palms to grease!”

By this time, Stan and Francesca were helping the sobbing Betty to her feet.

“You got a name, by the way?” asked Andy.

“Call me what my gang calls me,” smiled the girl. “Poison.”

“Well, Poison, I see you’re a duelist…”

“That’s right,” smiled Poison, “and I already have three Crystal Cards. My first opponent was no challenge whatsoever!”

“Well,” said Andy, shuffling his deck, “I’ll give you a chance to get a fourth, so long as you accept another wager. If I win, you get on your bike and leave Petalburg for good.”

Poison smiled.

She walked up to Andy.

“Okay,” she grinned. “But if I win, you have to…”

She whispered something into Andy’s ear. His eyes opened wide.

He gave a look of disgust…

“Deal?” asked Poison.

“Okay, fine,” snarled Andy. “The village green over there will make a suitable arena.”

Stan, Francesca, and Betty came up to him.

“What did she whisper to you?” asked Stan.

“Trust me, you don’t want to know…” snarled Andy.


* * * * * * * * * *


Poor Betty had been traumatized by losing her flower garden, but now she seemed happier.

“I can’t believe I’m finally gonna see a duel!” she squeaked. “I’ve been waiting months for this!”

“Really?” smiled Stan. “Well, I can tell you, they can get quite intense…”

“Well, let’s hope that Andy knows what he’s doing,” sighed Francesca.

Andy and Poison stood five meters apart, and loaded their decks.

“I hope you’re ready, Andy,” smiled Poison. “My deck has one of the most dreaded forces ever to grace the face of Duel Monsters!”

“Yeah, right, sure,” shrugged Andy. “Whatever…”

He lifted his Disk, and the holo-imagers shot out. The two sides snapped together.

Poison did the same.

The Life Point counters set to 8,000 apiece.

Andy’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s time to duel,” he whispered. “As they say…”

“Uh, is it just me,” muttered Francesca, “or is Andy putting on a whole different personality than when we met him?”

“He must take this serious…” answered Stan.

“I’ll start off this show,” said Poison, making her first draw.

Perfect! she thought. My secret weapon right in my first hand! But I’m going to need some help from this loser to bring it out…

“For my first move,” she stated, “I’ll place a Monster facedown in Defense Mode, and that will be all…”

She put the card down, and a facedown card appeared in front of her.

Well, that’s unusual, thought Andy, drawing.

Heh, this will do…

“I summon… Cave Dragon in Attack Mode!” he exclaimed.

He put a card down, and a huge form appeared. It was a bulky, fat, green-scaled Dragon with no wings, large horns growing from its temples, and spikes on its shoulders and tail. It exuded an aura of both strength and sluggishness at the same time. (2,000/100)




“Eep!” shrieked Poison.

She paused.

“Well,” she said, calming down, “are you going to attack, or aren’t you?”

“I can’t,” answered Andy. “Cave Dragon is strong for a four-star Monster, but it has limitations. It can’t be summoned if another Monster is on the field, and it can’t attack unless another Dragon is on the field. So I’m ending my turn.”

Hmm, thought Francesca. Andy just took a risk there… If Poison sacrifices her facedown Monster for a stronger one, he might be in trouble…

Poison drew. She put a card down.

“Okay,” she said. “I’m summoning Headless Knight in Attack Mode…”

Misty fog started to cover her side of the field.

“I don’t see any Headless Knight…” frowned Andy.

“That’s because he’s a phantom,” smiled Poison. “He hides in the shadows until the time is right to show himself…”

A ghostly shadow appeared in the fog.

“Ah, here he comes…”

A haunting laughter echoed through the fog as the creature stepped out. It was a man in ornate golden armor, carrying a shield and a sword, with – naturally – no head. (1,450/1,700)




“EEK!” shrieked Betty. “That guy is spooky!”

“Don’t worry, Betty,” assured Stan. “He may look spooky, but he’s hardly a threat…”

“Are you scared yet?” grinned Poison.

“Scared of that?” laughed Andy. “This ain’t Sleepy Hollow, and I ain’t Ichabod Crane!”

“Fine,” smiled Poison. “I’ll place a card facedown, and that will end my turn.”

She placed a card into a slot, and it appeared behind her facedown Monster.

“Then I’ll draw,” said Andy.

“I’m activating a Trap!” laughed Poison.

She hit her Disk, and her facedown card lifted. It showed a frightening picture of Dark Master Zorc casting a fiery spell on maidens who were fleeing from him.

“Zorc’s Revenge!” cackled Poison.

“And what does this Trap Card do, exactly?” scowled Andy.

“Oh, you’ll see!” laughed Poison.

Andy looked at the card he had just drawn.

Spear Dragon.

Time to show her how it’s done, he thought.

“I summon Spear Dragon in Attack Mode!” he shouted, placing a card down.

A small, winged Dragon with a long beak appeared, hovering next to Cave Dragon. (1,900/00)

“Now,” ordered Andy, “Cave Dragon, attack her Headless Knight with noxious breath!”

Cave Dragon opened its great maw and shot forth a blast of poisonous gas. Headless Knight moaned, and was blasted into pixels.

Poison’s Life Points fell down to 7,450.

“Yay!” shouted Betty. “No more Headless Knight!”

“Seems your Knight just lost a lot more than his head!” laughed Andy.

“Don’t celebrate yet,” smiled Poison.

Her Zorc’s Revenge card started to glow, and suddenly, dark flames erupted around Andy! He screamed as they burned, and his Life Points fell to 7,500.

“My Continuous Trap will deduct 500 Life Points from you any time you destroy one of my Fiends!” smiled Poison. “Clever, isn’t it?”

Andy snarled.

“Spear Dragon,” he commanded, “attack her defensive Monster with cyclone blast!”

Spear Dragon shot a whirlwind from its mouth towards the hidden Monster. A strange creature appeared on the card. It was purple, green, and glossy black, and resembled a colorful fiendish head. On its forehead was a beautiful woman’s head, and trailing behind it were long tendrils. Two long arms ending in claws sprouted from its sides, and a very long, ridged tail trailed behind it. (2,000/800)




Spear Dragon’s blast blew it to pieces. Poison’s Life Points fell down to 6,350.

“Nuvia the Wicked?” questioned Andy. “You actually tried to use Nuvia the Wicked? That’s the most useless Monster there is!”

“Have you forgotten that Nuvia is a Fiend?” smiled Poison.

Andy screamed as the dark flames blazed around him again. His Life Points fell to 7,000.

He gasped.

“I end my turn,” he snarled.


Continued...